


Addicted To Your Love

by OptimisticJamie



Series: Taya Trevelyan [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-04-24 18:10:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4929922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OptimisticJamie/pseuds/OptimisticJamie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While working in his metal shop on his own bike someone had come in demanding he see to their car. Agreeing he set to work on the busted thing, hosting it into the air for ease of access to the underside of the engine and wheels. It was meant to be a harmless prank, they told him. While he wasn’t looking one of his friends loosened one of the tires, leaving to dangle precariously as Rylen worked underneath it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Delightful Turn of Events

**Author's Note:**

> "Do I really need to write another modern AU longfic?" I say to myself. "Yes." I continue to say to myself.
> 
> So here, I fell for Knight-Captain Rylen. This is the result.

“Wait…a student nurse?” Rylen asked uncomfortably from his position on the hospital bed. 

“Yes, sir. She is in need of practice, inserting a drip should be no problem for her, but I’ll be here to supervise.” The experienced nurse explained, not even looking at Rylen and instead gazing down the hall to where he couldn’t see.

Rylen sighed and grunted in annoyance. “Yeah, fine. Okay.” 

“Excellent.” The nurse walked away after ticking something on her clipboard.

Rylen stared up at the ceiling; the chill in the air began to seep through the hospital gown he was wearing. How Rylen found himself in the Emergency Room of Starkhaven Hospital was baffling to him, but his friends assured him of the story.  
While working in his metal shop on his own bike someone had come in demanding he see to their car. Agreeing he set to work on the busted thing, hosting it into the air for ease of access to the underside of the engine and wheels. It was meant to be a harmless prank, they told him. While he wasn’t looking one of his friends loosened one of the tires, leaving to dangle precariously as Rylen worked underneath it.  
When Rylen went to replace his wrench he had placed his hand against the wheel, a habit he had created while walking passed suspended cars, treating them as if they were horses that needed alerting when someone walked behind them. The wheel fell, startling Rylen into moving backwards away from it. The wheel landed on a seesaw pulley that launched the screw drill straight at Rylen’s head. 

He didn’t have a chance of dodging it.

Now he lay in the ER having come too only a minute before they arrived at the hospital, a welt the size of Orlais on his forehead and a headache to rival a man suffering Lyrium withdrawals, waiting for a student nurse to set up a drip line.

Rylen turned his head to the side where the culprit of the accident sat. He still looked guilty, his face grey and a sickly expression still marked his eyes. Rylen grunted to get his attention. 

“That’s the last time I let you in my shop.” Rylen threatened.

“Aww come on, Rylen!” He tried to defend. 

“No.” Rylen finished, turning away. He wasn’t going to hide the fact he was mad. Mad not only because of the pain he was currently in, but because of the potential money that he was currently loosing with every minute he spent waiting. He owned the car repair shop, but it wasn’t enough. He knew he’d have to return to studying in order to get another, more fulfilling job, but he had no interest in desk jobs that stuck him inside. So he continued to work the shop.

Rylen was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of someone introducing herself. He turned to look. 

Standing at the foot of the bed, a white coat covering her shoulders and a watch pinned to the left breast pocket was the student nurse. 

“Hello, Mister Rylen.” She began, her voice sounding too sweet and fake. The first thing Rylen noticed about her voice was the Ferelden accent. Not from Starkhaven then. “I’m Taya Trevelyan, student nurse. I’ll be setting up your drip and taking note of a few vitals.”

Rylen smirked. “You don’t need to speak like that, lass.”

Taya only smiled politely as she moved passed Rylen’s friend to his side, a bag of clear fluids already in her arm she reached behind the bed and pulled out a slim metal pole with hooks on the top. She slung the fluid bag onto one of the hooks and fed the clear pipe through a piping device attached to the pole. She turned the device on and it beeped angrily at her.  
She rushed to stop the noise, Rylen saw her hands shaking for a moment and he tensed, suddenly nervous. To distract himself he watched her instead of his she was doing. 

As she took his left hand into her own hands Rylen continued to watch her, not one for needles he gritted his teeth behind his closed lips as she pressed her thumbs to the back of his hand, feeling for the vein. 

Taya, Rylen observed, had striking red hair pulled back into a tight bun, wisps of hair hung around her face, curling madly around her ears and brow. Her skin was littered with freckles, they danced across her cheeks and raced up her nose to spill onto her forehead, the parts of her arms Rylen could see were also covered in freckles.

When her eyes flicked to look at him Rylen almost jumped at the intensity of her gaze, she was focused, determined to do a good job. 

“Okay, Mister Rylen, can you please look at my finger.” She held up her index finger. Rylen looked down at his hand, surprised to see the drip in his hand—he hadn’t felt a thing—before looking at her finger.  
She moved it slowly from side to side; he followed it with his eyes. Next she shone a small flashlight into his eyes one at a time. She pulled away, seemingly satisfied with her work before she turned and beamed proudly at the supervising nurse who nodded.  
“Thank you, Mister Rylen.” Taya said sweetly before turning and leaving, placing her clipboard into the supervising nurse’s hands once she finished scribbling notes onto it. 

The nurse looked at what she had written while Rylen continued to watch the corner Taya had disappeared around, hoping she’d come back. That’s when Rylen caught the eye of his friend. His eyebrow raised in amusement and a smirk playing across his features. 

Rylen scowled. “What?” He mouthed. 

His friend only shrugged. 

“Okay, sir. You’ve got a mild concussion, inflicted by the screw drill when it impacted with your head.” The nurse explained. “It’s nothing too serious, but we will keep you here overnight, just to monitor you in case things worsen.”

Rylen nodded in understanding, his headache suddenly remembered he made the movement slow and small.

“You’ll be moved into your overnight room in five minutes.” The nurse said before leaving once again.

“Five minutes, you better tell me what you want from your place then.” Rylen’s friend said as he stood to stand closer to the bed.

Rylen only rolled his eyes, and then he remembered. “Ah. I need you to close up the shop, Mack.” He turned to Mack, making sure he was listening. “In the reception office—“

“More like the one tiny room with barely enough room for a chair.”

Rylen sighed. “Yes, that room. In there is a large black book; it has the remaining appointments for this week. I need you to bring it to me, as well as my phone, my keys, a pen, and a change of clothes.” 

“Slow down, Rylen, you’ll only be here for a night.”

“Just do it.” 

“Alright.” Mack agreed before leaving. 

 

_____________

 

Rylen positioned the back of the bed into a better sitting position and pulled the small wheely table closer to him. Placing the appointment book on it’s surface he opened it to the current week and dialled the first number.

It took two minutes to cancel and reschedule appointments for the next two days. Rylen sighed in disappointment. He needed to find a way to get more business and fast. He was having trouble paying rent for his own apartment, let alone the shop. 

“Something bothering you, Mister Rylen?” 

Rylen jumped and turned to the voice, wincing as his headache flared. When his vision cleared he saw Taya, standing at the end of the bed with a thick folder of papers in her hands. 

Rylen smiled, “No, no. Nothing of importance.” He assured. 

Taya nodded and opened the folder. She read the notes for a moment before leaving the room at a fast pace. Rylen was about to pout childishly before she reentered with a fresh bag of fluids. 

He inwardly groaned. Since being hooked up to the fluids he had been to the bathroom ten times within the last three hours. It wasn’t exactly easy to walk with a headache trying to split your skull from the inside. He kept his mouth shut against the complaints though as he watched Taya switch out the bags. 

“I notice your accent is Ferelden, lass.” 

Taya turned her grey eyes onto him before looking at her work. “That’s correct, sir.” 

“Where from? What brings you to Starkhaven?”

“I’m here to complete my studies. Heard that Starkhaven produced the best nurses and doctors so, naturally, I had to be in on it.” Taya explained as she finished. She turned to look at him. 

“Let me guess, University of Starkhaven? Free Marches Collage?” 

“University of Starkhaven.” Taya answered, smiling.

Rylen grinned. “How much longer till your finished?”

“About two years.” 

Rylen watched as Taya walked to the end of the bed and ticked a box in the folder before sliding it into the slot on the foot of the bed. “I must be going now, Mister Rylen. I’ll see you later.”

“Please, just Rylen.” 

Taya huffed a laugh, nodded, and left the room.

Rylen couldn’t stop his smile from spreading. He relaxed back against the bed, gazing up at the monitor above his bed, watching the screen but not paying any attention to what was happening


	2. Midnight Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Anyone special in your life?” Rylen asked, his voice sounding oddly hopeful. 
> 
> “Only Jason.”
> 
> “Oh.” Taya heard the reluctant acceptance in his voice. Silence grew between them till Rylen cleared his throat. “So, Jason is your…boyfriend?”

Taya wasn’t sure what to think as she looked at the report for the man she was going to be taking vitals from. She read it again, _possible concussion from screw drill accident_.

What happened? How did he get hit in the head with a _screw drill_? 

Standing just outside the room Rylen had been moved into for the night she sighed, flipping through the papers on her clipboard. It was going to be a long night, then back to her café for the morning rush.   
Groaning at the thought she walked to the receptionist desk and placed the clipboard down, scrubbing her palms over her face with another drawn out sigh. 

“Heavy work load?” One of the receptionists asked, not looking up from the computer. 

“Yeah. Not enough nurses tonight.” Taya explained. 

“I’m not surprised, truly. It’s almost Christmas.” 

“I’d rather be spending it at home with Jason in front of my computer.”

The receptionist smiled and looked up but didn’t say anything for a moment. She looked back down at her computer screen, typing quickly before pushing her chair back and looking at Taya. “He must miss you.”

Taya smiled “He probably does. Get’s very excited when I walk through the door, sometimes I swear he can hear my car from three block away.”

The receptionist laughed. 

“Anyway, I must get back to work.” Taya remarked, picking up her clipboard again before bidding the receptionists farewell.   
She attended to a few of her other patients, a man in his mid-thirties with curly blonde hair and a scar on his lip, admitted for harming himself amidst withdrawal, his wife sitting next to him, never letting go of his hand.   
Another person with appendicitis, someone else with broken ribs. 

They all had stories, but none were as amusing as the man she was currently walking towards without noticing it. Her feet carried her from one end of the ward to the other, walking into Rylen’s shared room as if she actually had something to do. 

The truth of the matter was this: She didn’t. 

It was quarter passed midnight when she took the seat next to him, surprised to find him still awake. He was flipping through the channels on the television, his expression schooled into one of boredom and mild pain at the lack of channels currently showing anything other than a static screen. He smiled at her when she sat down. 

“What brings you here, lass?” He asked, his Starkhaven accent was one of the heaviest she had heard since moving from Denerim. He had obviously been brought up in the more rural areas where tourists from Ferelden and Orlais didn’t dilute the accent. 

Taya had no real answer for him. So she shrugged, “My work load is rather light tonight.” She lied, but she did have a few minutes to talk. “So I thought we could chat.”

Rylen quirked an eyebrow at her and she found her eyes tracing the straight line of the tattoo on his nose, leading her down to his lips and the four straight dashed tattoos on his chin. 

“Why choose me, Red?”

“You’re the only one awake.” That was true, everyone else was getting as much sleep as they could before she and the other nurses came through to check their blood pressure.

“I’d expect you to tell me to sleep.” 

“Not unless it was greatly necessary, though in your case it kind of is.”

“A little concussion wont stop me from staying up to look at your pretty face.”

Taya felt a blush rise on her cheeks and she cleared her throat. “Truthfully, Rylen, your concussion is a lot worse than you think it is. After tonight you wont be able to work long shifts, or for longer than an hour really.”

The noise Rylen made was somewhere between agreement and annoyance. He looked awake from her for a moment before looking back, his green eyes locking with her grey ones. “You’ll just have to keep me company.”

Taya laughed, then hushed herself when she realised how loud it was. 

“Seriously, lass, tell me about yourself, you’re intruging.” Rylen shifted himself so his body was facing her, one arm slung over the back of the bed the other resting on his hip. 

“Medical student, finish my degree in two years,” Taya began, feeling herself relax more as the conversation continued, “I own and run my own café and live in the flat above it.”

“Anyone special in your life?” Rylen asked, his voice sounding oddly hopeful. 

“Only Jason.”

“Oh.” Taya heard the reluctant acceptance in his voice. Silence grew between them till Rylen cleared his throat. “So, Jason is your…boyfriend?”

“What? No!” Taya said suddenly, “No, no.” She laughed. “Jason is my Mabari!”

Rylen found himself laughing at the foolish thoughts whirling through his mind. Taya joined in the light-hearted sound till her eyes were watering. 

“No, Jason is but a humble mutt.” Taya confirmed. 

“No dog can be a mutt, lass. Loyal creatures deserve their praise.”

Taya smiled. She opened her mouth to speak again when she heard beeping from the nurse’s desk. 

“Ah,” She got to her feet quickly. “I have to see to that.” She said as she walked away from the bed. She looked over her shoulder at him, smile still stretching his lips. “I’ll be back.”

“Alrighty, lass.” 

Taya jogged to the nurse’s desk and pulled up who had called for assistance. A young woman who had loss the use of her legs in a car accident. Taya quickly gathered the necessary equipment she felt she’d need before heading to the patient’s room. 

Assisting the patient took longer than she anticipated. Once finished she did a quick check of everyone else on her list, changing fluid bags and adjusting drips when she needed too.

It was almost two in the morning when she eventually walked back into Rylen’s room. Instead of finding him alert and ready for another conversation on her dog, she found him slumped against the still raised back of the bed, his head rolled to the side facing away from her, his breathing deep and even.   
She walked over to the side of the bed and carefully adjusted it so he was laying flat. He took a deep inhale and grumpily rolled onto his side, away from her, the pain of his concussion finally manifesting in his stiff movements. He grumbled before his breathing turned to soft snores.

Taya smirked to herself at the sight. She shook herself out of her daze and left the room, sitting in one of the chairs at the nurse’s desk she closed her own eyes and dozed lightly till one of her co-workers sat down next to her.

“I saw you with that boy with the facial tattoos.” The nurse remarked, winking.

“What’s so wrong with that?” Taya demanded. 

“Nothing, nothing.” The nurse defended. “Just be careful. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”


	3. Confusion and Teasing

Rylen was released from the hospital in the morning, an experienced nurse he hadn’t seen before jabbed him in the thigh with a needle, gave him some medication for his concussion and sent him on his way. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to drive home, mainly because his bike wasn’t in the car park, but back at his shop where it had probably sustained scratches from the fucking teenagers who kept keying everyone’s cars in the area, he pulled out his phone and dialled Michel De Chevin.

The phone rang for a little while before a tired voice grunted into the speaker, making Rylen pull the phone away from his ear.

“What do you want, Rylen?”

“Nice to hear you’re out of hospital, Rylen. Of course I’ll come pick you up, Rylen.” Rylen countered, trying to keep the pain out of his voice and somewhat failing.   
The line was silent for a moment before Michel spoke again. “I’m sorry, my friend, but I cannot come and drive you home.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Look, Rylen, when you get lucky you don’t want to waste it.”

Rylen sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. “Fine, fine whatever. I’ll call Barris.”

“Barris left for Ferelden last night.”

Rylen groaned in annoyance. “I’ll figure something out.” He hung up, more than a little annoyed. Sometimes he wondered if his friend’s deliberated left him hanging, but then he remembered that they also have lives, and his concussion wasn’t their fault, they probably didn’t even know about it.  
Rylen shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked at a pebble on the path with his foot. He looked up when he heard footsteps ahead of him and instantly felt his mood lighten a little when he recognised the red-headed woman walking across the path to her car, keys in hand while loosening her plait with the other.

Taya pulled her phone out of her pocket once she shook her hair out of its plait, unruly red tangles cascaded down her back, almost reaching her hips. Rylen walked towards her and cleared his throat, causing Taya to jerk up to him.

“Hello!” She greeted cheerfully. “Nice to see they’ve let you go.”

Rylen smiled, “Yeah about that…um…I kind of…don’t have a ride home.”

Taya looked at him blankly, her expression unreadable. Rylen felt his gut twist in embarrassment and he looked away, hands in his pockets as he went back to kicking loose pebbles. 

“Uh..Well.” Taya looked at her watch and sighed slightly. “I guess I _could_ give you a ride to the nearest bus stop or rail station?”

Rylen looked up and nodded. “Thanks.” 

Taya smiled, it looked tired and she led him to her car. Her car was clean inside and out and had one of those dangling air fresheners on the mirror. As she reversed out of the spot Rylen felt tension in the air. He looked around he car and spotted a loaf of bread on the back seat, wrapped in a clear bag with a single logo on the front.   
“Hey, I know that café.” Rylen said, pointing at the loaf. “It’s just down the road from my machine shop.” 

Taya looked at him, surprised. “Really?” 

“Yeah. Sometimes I can smell the ovens baking pastries. I’ve been in there a few times when I can spare it.”

Taya laughed. “What a delightful turn of events.” 

“What is?”

“I own that café.”

Rylen’s jaw went slack. “No way.”

“Yes way. It’s part of the reason I moved to Starkhaven. My mother and family run the original café in Denerim, of course it’s much larger than the one here but we thought we should expand our business. My brother was sent here to start up the café and once he had run it for a year I came up.”

Rylen listened with arched eyebrows. “From what I hear it’s doing really well.”

“I certainly is. You should stop by when I’m out front sometime.”

“Out front?”

“I’m the only cook there, often I never leave the kitchen.”

Rylen faced out the front window, enjoying the conversation as it changed from her café to his machine shop to her Mabari to his bike. Before he knew it she had driven passed the bus stop and rail station and had pulled into the car park of the café itself.   
He stepped out of the car and looked down the street, sure as daylight there was his machine shop. His blood began to boil when he saw that the front roller door was wide open, showing all the tires, pumps and equipment off to anyone who wanted it. 

“For fuck’s sake, Mack.” Rylen grumbled. He turned to Taya, “I’m going to have to cut this short, Mack left the garage open.”

“No worries, Rylen.” Taya said. She suddenly pulled out a piece of paper from her planner and scribbled something on it before folding it and handing it to Rylen. 

He took it slowly, looking at her quizzically. She blushed for a moment before clearing her throat. “Anyway, I have to open up shop.” With that she turned away from him and walked to the staff door of her café. 

Rylen began walking down the street to his shop, unfolding the piece of paper as he went. He smiled when he saw her name written in thin swirling cursive along with her mobile number. He folded the paper and put it in his pocket once he reached his shop and began the arduous task of archiving his equipment, writing down anything that was missing so he could badger Mack. 

 

****

 

“Should you be drinking with a concussion?” Michel said as he watched Rylen knock back another mug of beer. 

“Shouldn’t you be fucking that lass you were with this morning?” Rylen quipped.

Rylen sat with his back against the bar table, a drink in one hand, and a drunken friend on the other. He and his friends were laughing, perhaps a little too loudly for so late at night, but he didn’t care.

“Weren’t you in hospital recently?” Barris asked, hiccupping over his glass of beer.

Rylen nodded, “Yeah, no thanks to the clown that is Mack.” Rylen wrapped his arm around the neck of Michel de Chevin who only howled in drunken laughter and slumped against him, causing Rylen to lose his balance momentarily.

Rylen turned to Barris. “Weren’t you in Ferelden today?” 

Barris nodded. “Aye, but negotiations with my subordinates in Redcliffe were swift, I was back on the plane within five hours.”

Rylen laughed and patted him on the back between his shoulder blades. He turned back to Michel, taking a long gulp from his glass.  
Michel must have seen the silence as his invitation to talk. He leaned over towards Barris, putting most of his weight on Rylen who tried, rather unsuccessfully, to hold him up.

“He met a girl too.” Michel said flatly. Suddenly Rylen didn’t think he was as drunk as he seemed to be.

“Spill, Rylen, how could you keep that from us?” Barris practically yelled to the whole club.  
“There’s not much to tell. She’s a student nurse, over at UoS. Come’s from Denerim—“

“See! He even got where she comes from!”

“Chevin if you don’t shut up I’m going to have to drop you.” Rylen threatened.

Michel only laughed and shrugged himself from Rylen’s grip. He walked over to Barris’s other side and sat down heavily on the vacant barstool. Rylen took the reprieve to turn around and sit down himself, taking another mouthful of beer.   
Rylen found himself thinking about Taya rather suddenly. She had left her number with him that was a sure sign as any that she expected to hear from him again. Leaning forward on his elbows Rylen continued to drink till Barris suddenly elbowed him in the side.

“She sounds cute, Rylen.”

“Hu—oh. Yeah, well I guess the lass was.” Rylen agreed.

“So?”

Rylen only turned to Barris and raised his eyebrows.

Barris rolled his eyes and nudged him again. “So, are you going to call her? Ask her out?”

Rylen stared into his empty glass, tilting it back and forth as the left over froth glided against the bottom of the glass. Looking back, he was probably half delirious when he met Taya but he was convinced she was beautiful. Studying at University of Starkhaven and owned her own café not far from her flat.

Already she seemed to be better off than he was, but he had to give it a try…right?

Rylen shrugged, placed the glass down and tipped the bartender. “There’s no harm in asking, right lads?”

Barris cheered, Michel’s head fell to the bar top with a loud bang. The blonde man promptly snored, cutting off Barris’s cheers. 

They both stood and stared at him for a moment before Rylen shook his head and moved to haul him up. “I’ll take him home.”

Barris stood and pushed Rylen away from Michel, taking the man’s weight himself. “No, I’ll take him, you’ve got a bird to call.”

Rylen looked at his watch. He’d call her in the morning.


	4. Texts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> POSTED ONLY ON TUMBLR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't get emojis to work on this site so this chapter will be on tumblr. Don't fret, chapter 5 will be back here.

FIND CHAPTER 4 ON MY TUMBLR: http://optimistic-jamie.tumblr.com/post/132531847686/addicted-to-your-love-ch4-texts


	5. Dates and Time

From the first lunch date Taya could tell that Rylen was someone she preferred to be friends with. Deciding took a little longer, she wanted to spend more time with him, wanted to try and create a base for a friendship to bloom, but as their lives continued they both became increasingly busy, her with her degree and café, and him with his machine shop.

After the first date they had met for three more. A dinner date at a pub down the road from Rylen’s shared apartment; his idea, a movie followed by dinner and a walk through the park at 8pm; his idea, and an impromptu date to the vet for Jason’s check up; her idea. 

That was two months ago.

As time stretched she worried that maybe she had made a mistake in asking Rylen to lunch at first time. Maybe he wasn’t interested and was making up excuses to avoid her. The longer she thought about it the more that idea sounded out of place. Why would he have taken her to dinner _twice_ for him to suddenly stop without so much as a “It was nice meeting you”.

“Taya,” Her thoughts were interrupted by a heavily accented voice. Her head jerked up from where she had been scribbling on an order form.

Rylen was leaning against the counter, his hair dishevelled and engine oil smeared vertically over his left eyebrow as if he had tried to scratch and itch and forgotten about it. 

Taya’s heart hiccupped and she almost burped at the sudden jolt. “Hi.” She managed, sounding a little nonplussed. She tried again “Hey.” Better. 

Rylen gave her a crooked smile and inclined his head in a quick nod. “Hello, lass.” 

“W-What…uh, what can I do for you?” _Smooth as sandpaper, Trevelyan._

“Nothing really, I just wanted to come and say hi. I finally got a break.” Rylen explained, looking down at the marble counter, smiling. “We haven’t had a chance to talk.”

“No…we haven’t.” Taya agreed. 

They stood in silence for a moment; just looking at various things around her café in hopes the other would say something. Taya opened her mouth to try a few times but thought better of it, closing it again quietly so he wouldn’t notice. 

Their silence was broken when a table of customers stood, their chairs scrapping against the tiles with a shrill scream. The noise made Rylen flinch and he covered his ears quickly. Taya raised an eyebrow quizzically at the action but didn’t ask him about it. 

The customers left their payment on the table, making Taya move from behind the counter to retrieve it before any of her employees did and decided that they wanted to keep the money. 

Coming back to the till she counted it out. 

“Looks like Kayla will be pleased with the tip they left her.” Taya mused. 

“How much, lass?”

Taya’s eyes flicked up to Rylen, a smirk twisting her lips. “I can’t tell you that, Rylen. You’re not an employee.” 

“Fair enough.” Rylen smiled in return before he straightened up, rightened his leather jacket with a tug and cleared his throat. 

Taya watched him for a moment, waiting. 

Finally he answered; “Red, I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to come back to my place tonight?”

Taya froze.

“I mean, I have the place to myself, Barris was called back to Ferelden. Don’t know how long he’ll be there for, I thought maybe we could watch a few movies, play a few video games,” 

Taya smiled at his rambling. He was avoiding her gaze and twisting the hem of his leather jacket between his fingertips.

“I’d love too.”

The air left him in a rush; “You would?”

“Yes.”

 

*****

 

Rylen spent hours making the apartment presentable for Taya. He vacuumed, mopped, polished and vacuumed again for good measure. Once that was done he set up dinner, a simple lamb shank soup, perfect to combat the cold weather, then turned the thermostat up so the apartment was warmer. 

Then he turned to his appearance. Still in his leathers from his ride home he shrugged out of the jacket and gloves, placing them on top of his washing pile before stripping and getting in the shower. Usually he didn’t bother with fancy scented soaps, just a simple generic brand that did the job. This time he dared to break into Barris’s supply of orange-scented soaps and washed himself. 

As he was dressing he found his hands shaking. He was nervous. He hadn’t been this nervous since he was in the army and had fallen for his boss’s boss. She hadn’t fallen for him though, instead falling for the Commander. He shook his head. No, he didn’t want to think of the past, not when there was a steady knock at his door that made his heart leap into his throat. 

He pulled he door open only after checking he had nothing in his teeth and greeted Taya.

She had dressed casual, skinny jeans and a shirt covered by a long black over-coat, white scarf and leather gloves. She wore a layer of light makeup; dark eyeshadow and eyeliner that made her grey eyes seem stormier than usual. 

“Hello.” She started cheerfully, though her voice was laced with a shiver, reminding him of his manners. 

“Aye, lass, hello.” He stepped aside, motioning for her to come in with a wave of his hand. 

Once inside she began to pull off her winter clothes and hung them on the coat-rack beside the door. Rylen helped her out of her coat. 

“Your place is…very clean.” She remarked. 

“Aye.” Rylen agreed. “Got to work on keeping it clean with two men in the house.”

Taya laughed. “Does that mean all the dirty socks are stuffed under the lounge?”

This time Rylen laughed at her joke. “Ah, you got me figured out, Red.”

“Oh it’s not too hard.”

They fell into a comfortable silence then, for a moment, before Rylen moved to the kitchen. “I’ve made a soup if you want any?”

“Yes please.”

In little time they were sitting side-by-side on the couch, a small gap between them, as they watched a movie. It was an old black-and-white horror film that Rylen enjoyed and Taya confessed she had never seen. 

The movie was interrupted with her laughter every time a dramatic scene was mean to convey horror but instead made her laugh. 

“Now, lass, you can’t keep laughing at everything.” Rylen complained, laughing himself.

“I can and I will.” Taya responded. 

Again the movie caught their attention and she laughed. Rylen couldn’t help but laugh with her, her laugh was loud and boisterous, only muffled by her hand as she clamped it over her mouth when she got too loud. 

Truthfully, Rylen didn’t mind when she became too loud. Her laugh made him feel light, mostly just before she clamped her hand over her mouth. So, someone had told her that her laugh was something it’s not.

At the end of the movie Rylen collected their bowls. Taya followed him to the kitchen and leaned her hip against the bench. “I’m sorry if I was annoying you.”

“No, lass.” Rylen deflected. “You weren’t.”

She smiled. “Thanks for inviting me over. It was fun.”

“Aye.” Rylen smiled at her.

They stood across from each other, close enough that Rylen could smell her shampoo. Pomegranate. 

“I’d best be going. I have a hospital shift tomorrow.”

Rylen nodded. “Alright, lass. Thank you for coming.”

She moved to the door to collect her things, tugging them on carefully. Rylen watched the entire time and continued to watch the door after she departed, a large, crooked grin on his face.


End file.
